half your life you kept it in
by ikuzonos
Summary: Escaping the school with their lives was one thing. Escaping with their minds intact was something else entirely. (Psychological Trauma. Implied Naegi/Kirigiri, Togami/Fukawa, Mukuro/Sayaka, and Kyosuke/Chisa)


Hagakure had given them all bandanas to cover their faces with. The fifteen of them had gotten so used to the fresh air from the school, and the dirty oxygen outside was too much for them to take in all at once. They were unfortunate enough to exit during the middle of a windstorm. Naegi squinted as he shuffled along, trying to keep up with the others.

Ishimaru pointed out an old grocery store as a place of refuge from the storm. Sakura pried the jammed doors open, and they all piled inside. It was dark inside, and most of the food looked spoiled. Graffiti covered the walls, nonsensical drawings, or the words 'hail despair' everywhere Naegi looked.

Togami pulled off his bandana, "Look for mattresses, or anything we can use to sleep on. We'll find food later."

The six of them moved through the store slowly, in case any hostile people were hiding in the corners, but it appeared that they were the only ones around.

Naegi unearthed an old, ratty futon mattress from a dusty display case, and brushed the cobwebs off it. It seemed functional, though not very big. He dragged it back to the entrance, where Togami and Fujisaki were waiting. They had cleared an area to lay things down on, and Naegi carefully placed the futon.

Fujisaki coughed as dust flew through the air. They looked rather sickly, but that could merely be the dim lighting.

"Are you okay?"

Fujisaki nodded, "I-I'm fine… Thank you."

Togami cast the pair an odd glance, then went back to shoving a case of candy backwards. A few pillows had already been dropped off, and what looked to be a large sack of rice.

Naegi waited in silence with Fujisaki and Togami, until the others returned. A few of them had things to sleep on, while others had blankets. He did a silent count, then frowned, "That won't be enough."

Togami sniffed, "We'll merely have to share."

Even if they all shared the futons, it still wouldn't be enough for fifteen people. Nobody else seemed to find issue with it though, so Naegi quietly accepted it.

They ate bowls of rice around a heater, with no sounds beside quiet chewing and the clink of chopsticks against the bowl. Not even Leon spoke, in fact, he looked incredibly solemn.

Once everyone had eaten, and the bowls were disposed off, each one of them curled up on a mattress, except for Hagakure who was sprawled on the now empty rice sack.

Naegi huddled in a ball on the end of one futon, while Kirigiri lay down lightly on the other. Her movements were careful and controlled, and Naegi wondered if she planned to get any sleep.

He began to drift off quickly, the warmth of the heater making him feel oddly peaceful. His eyes were heavy, but Naegi couldn't help but sneak a peek at his classmates before succumbing to sleep.

They'd all made it out, and that was what mattered.

* * *

Right on the stroke of seven, Naegi shot awake. The familiar bell and message rung through his head, but he couldn't tell if it was a hallucination or not. Sweat rolled down his face, as he shakily sat up.

Soft sunlight shone in through the broken windows near the ceiling. Some of his classmates were lit up by it, while others were fully encased in shadows.

Togami twitched in his sleep, his face oddly contorted. It was the first time that Naegi had ever seen him look truly vulnerable. It was a sickening reminder that the heir was just as human as the rest of them, and could die the same way as everyone else did.

Naegi shook his head.

 _We all made it out. That's all that matters._

He glanced around again. Asahina appeared to be crying, Kirigiri was whimpering, and Fukawa, who was sitting up in front of the heater, looked shook. Her hands were quivering even more than they usually did. Only Hagakure looked peaceful, but that might have been due to Naegi's inability to see his face.

Naegi got off the futon he was sitting on, and shifted over to sit near Fukawa. She gave him a half glance to acknowledge his presence, then went back to rubbing the hem of her skirt between her fingers. Celeste was seated next to her, though a little further from the heat. The gambler seemed almost nervous about being close to the heat, but Naegi couldn't blame her.

"Morning," he said quietly.

Fukawa muttered, "M-Morning…"

Celeste smiled, "Good morning, Naegi-kun. How are you feeling?"

Naegi shrugged, "I'm as okay as you can be in this situation, you?"

"I will adapt to this situation, just as I did in the school," Celeste replied simply, "It is only natural."

Fukawa's response was quiet, "We d-don't have much of a c-chance."

"How so?" Celeste asked.

Fukawa ignored her, "I'm worried a-about Byakuya-sama. H-He hasn't been d-doing well."

Naegi looked over at him, then back at Fukawa, "I mean, I guess he looks out of sorts."

Fukawa said, "Byakuya-sama i-is being so s-strong for the r-rest of us. But h-he's struggling too… he w-was in that wretched s-school, and everyone seems to f-forget that."

Naegi examined Fukawa. She was oddly quiet, especially considering that Togami was her favourite subject. She was right though, Togami had been through the same hells as the rest of them. Naegi had assumed that she didn't really know him, and was merely attracted to his appearance, but she had made a good observation.

She whispered, "N-None of you paid h-him any attention. He's a p-person too."

Perhaps she understood Togami better than he thought she did.

* * *

The mattresses were too large to carry with them.

Yamada, Maizono, and Asahina had found durable packs in the storeroom, and had set about filling them with as much canned food as possible, making sure they were cushioned by some of the blankets. There were only six packs in total, but Naegi reasoned that they'd switch as the day went on.

The storm had subsided during the night, leaving only hot sun that beat down on their necks. They wore the bandanas over their faces for the first bit, until Sakura slipped hers off and declared that there was no current danger.

The air wasn't was fresh as it had been in the school, but it wasn't the dirty mess from the previous night either.

Sweat poured down Naegi's face. He was hot, as the heavy cans in his pack weren't helping. He wiped his brow, not willing to give up, when someone tapped his arm.

It was Maizono, and she held out a bottle of water towards him. He took a hearty drink, then handed it back to her.

She smiled, "Feeling better?"

Naegi nodded, "Y-Yeah. Thanks, Maizono-san."

"No problem!" Maizono replied, "I mean, what are friends for?"

 _Friends…_

He was glad that he managed to befriend Maizono. After silently admiring her in middle school, actually getting to talk to her had been a dream come true. She was like older sister that he never had.

Naegi smiled.

They stopped around mid day under an abandoned shop overhang. Naegi had never been so glad to sit down, as he dropped onto a large piece of rubble.

Hagakure opened a can of beans, and passed it around. None of them had thought to bring utensils, so they merely used the bent lid.

The beans were slimy, but Naegi ate every drop that he was allowed, before passing the can to Ishimaru.

As Naegi relaxed, Kirigiri sat down next to him, and unzipped his hoodie, "You're going to overheat like that."

Naegi rubbed the back of his neck, "Ah, thanks."

She shrugged, and looked up at the sky. He mirrored her, examining the inky expanse. Though the sun still shone, the sky itself was an ugly shade of purple and red, and it looked as if it was heavily polluted.

"I think I still hate him," Kirigiri said, so quiet that only Naegi could hear, "But what if I forgave him? What then?"

Naegi didn't have to ask to know she meant her father. He admittedly didn't know much about the headmaster's relationship with Kirigiri, besides the fact that it was incredibly strained.

She continued on, even quieter, "I want to hate him. He left me, just after my mother died, and he never came back. I came to Hope's Peak to sever ties with him but…"

Kirigiri broke off, her voice beginning to shake.

Naegi scooted closer to her, and brushed against her gloved hand, "Kirigiri-san, it's okay. Just let it out."

She slammed her eyes shut, then relaxed them. Her face had gone stone still again, "No… I'll be fine. But I think instead of severing ties with him… we reconciled. And I don't want that, but at the same time, _I do._ "

Naegi didn't say anything, but he rested his hand on top of hers. She didn't react to him.

"I feel guilty for all this, considering he's just a pile of bones in a box," Kirigiri said, "But I want _closure_. I have to know…"

A single tear fell out of her eyes. Kirigiri wiped her face, then said, "I'm sorry for dumping all this on you."

Naegi responded, "Don't be, I don't mind."

She moved her hand, and Naegi thought she was going to pull away, but instead, she interlaced their fingers.

They didn't move for a while after that.

* * *

After they rested up, they kept going at Togami's insistence. He wanted to find a good place to camp for the night, preferably outside of the city.

The fifteen people moved in blended harmony, as they approached the city limits. It was good timing too, as it was growing cold and dark. The wind was picking up too, and so they donned their bandanas in order to protect themselves.

Deep down, Naegi knew that the bandanas really weren't doing much to protect them. Fujisaki was looking sicker than ever, and Fukawa was wheezing.

Togami declared that they should stop in the remains of an old shop. A giant hole had been blasted in the wall, but the rest of the building held strong.

Five of them began setting up blankets on the floor, while Togami opened cans of pineapple and sweet peas. Once all that was settled, Togami passed the cans around.

The six of them ate in silence, then turned in for the night. The howling wind outside was awful, but at the same time it was oddly comforting. It was certainly better than the deafening silent nights they endured in the school.

Naegi awoke a little more than an hour before seven, according to the ancient clock still ticking away on the wall. He was amazed that it had survived all this time.

He looked around at the other five, who were all still fast asleep. They looked slightly more peaceful than they had been in the grocery store, but a heavy layer of unease covered all of them, himself included.

A small noise startled him. Naegi whipped around, only to freeze in shock. A person, whose face was covered by a Monokuma mask, stared back blankly at him. Their hand was in one of the packs, and it looked as if they'd been looting the rest of the store.

They grabbed the pack, and bolted towards the back of the store. Naegi launched off the cracked linoleum, and raced after them.

They ran through a busted fire escape door, which was likely the same way they got in. Naegi reached out, and grabbed the pack again, pulling it towards himself.

He had never been particularly strong, but it seemed that his rival was just as weakened in the wake of the tragedy. They continued to pull back and forth, as if the canned food inside meant life or death. Maybe it did for this person. Maybe they were starving.

Naegi's hesitation was enough for the stranger to get the upper hand, and tug the bag entirely from his grip. They began to run, only for Naegi to grab onto their middle from behind. He couldn't let them take the food, there were fourteen others inside that would have to eat too.

They hit his hands hard, and he let go, clenching his fists in pain. He hardly got a chance to recover, as in the next instant, the person slammed him against the wall of the store, and pushed a knife to his throat.

The cold metal brushed against his skin. Naegi shook, his heart running up his chest and into his throat. The stranger pressed the knife closer, and Naegi slammed his eyes shut.

The pressure suddenly left his throat, and for one frightening second, Naegi was certain that he had died.

He blearily blinked his eyes open at the sound of a shout, only to see the masked person running away, clutching their arm and howling.

Naegi looked around to face his saviour, then blinked again, "T-Togami-kun?"

Togami lightly brushed some dust off of his suit, "We needed the food. We have six people to feed."

"Thank you," Naegi replied.

Togami didn't say anything for a long moment, then muttered, "Don't tell the others."

Naegi nodded, and the two headed back inside. Despite his prickly exterior, (and prickly _interior)_ Togami had saved his life.

Maybe they could end up as friends after all.

* * *

At nine AM, after sharing some canned mackerel and searching the store for any remaining food, they all set off. It was colder, which made carrying the heavy packs a slight bit easier. Naegi stuck to the middle of the group, hoping it would help him keep a steady pace.

He wondered where they were going. Togami had mentioned that he wanted them to get out of the city, but then what? According to what Junko had told them during the sixth trial, and what Mukuro had unfortunately affirmed, almost none of humanity was still standing.

The only person that Naegi had seen was the one in the Monokuma mask that had tried to murder him. Every other trace of humanity was wiped out, as far as they could tell.

(Surely there were survivours… The killing game had to have been broadcast to someone, right? Right?)

* * *

On the outskirts of the city, on a patch of high ground, Togami called for a stop.

"We'll make our base here. We will construct a shelter here as it is close to the city, so we can go in and scavenge for supplies. Up until we can contact other people, we should stay in this area," he said, "Any questions?"

"Yeah," Leon said, sticking up his hand, "Why are we listening to you?"

Togami ignored him, "No questions then. Let's get to work."

Asahina mumbled, "You're just going to ignore her?"

Naegi looked at her in confusion, then shrugged. They needed a proper shelter if they were going to stay out on that plateau, that was for sure.

With the help of Hagakure and Mondo, Naegi dragged a large piece of aluminum up the hill to the plateau. Sakura, Kirigiri, and Asahina were already hauling up chunks of metal that they could find. Together, the six of them assembled a mess that could count as a shelter if it came down to it.

It had a roof, at least.

Building the dubious shelter had taken most of the afternoon. It had gotten dark quickly, and so Naegi and the others clustered around the fire that had been lovingly lit by Togami and Fukawa. The cans of food were devoured quickly, and before long, Naegi was wrapped up in a blanket on the soft dirt.

Fukawa, Hagakure, and Fujisaki had taken watch outside, due to the threat of other people arriving and potentially hurting them. Naegi was alright with the watch system, as long as it meant that the events of the morning were never repeated.

(He could still feel the knife on his throat.)

The sound of Asahina's tears, Maizono's whimpering, and Ishimaru's sudden screams lulled him to sleep that night.

* * *

Naegi sat bolt right up on the dot of seven. His breathing relaxed when the ringing in his ears ceased, and Monokuma's voice faded out of his head. The only sound now was the light crackle on the fire.

Somebody was already up.

Naegi unwrapped himself from the blanket he was tangled in, and left the shelter. Mukuro was sitting in front of the fire, her knees pressed to her chest, and her head resting on top of them. She was looking directly into the flames, unblinking.

He sat down across from her, letting the fire blaze between them. She didn't react when he arrive, and in fact made no inclination that she knew he was there.

"Good morning, Ikusaba-san," he said quietly.

Mukuro didn't say anything for a long moment, and just continued watching the flames. When she did speak, her voice was low, "...Morning."

They didn't speak again for a long while, until Mukuro whispered, "Is it bad that I miss her?" Naegi couldn't tell if she was talking to him, or the to fire. Her gaze hadn't moved once. One thing was clear though. She was talking about Junko.

"I don't think so," Naegi said carefully, "I mean… she is your sister, after all."

Mukuro replied, "I don't want to miss her, is the thing. She always taught me that I was an extension of her… that I wasn't a human being. But now, now that we're out here and she's still in the school, I miss her so much that it makes me sick."

Naegi blinked, "She taught you… that you weren't a person?"

Mukuro said, "Yes. I believed her too. I've been dependant on her my entire life, and there's nothing that I can do to change that. She was my entire world, so why _wouldn't_ I believe her?"

Naegi opened his mouth to speak, then froze. Mukuro was crying. He'd never seen her show this kind of emotion before, not even back when she was wearing a wig and he watched seventeen spears pierce her body like it was made of butter.

Mukuro murmured, "It was when I joined the school that I changed. Despite the fact that I was just a tool, I managed to form friends with some of you. You all meant so much to me, but I knew this was all leading up to Junko putting us in a killing game. I tried not to get attached but…"

She broke off for a long moment.

"Tools don't get attached. But I was already broken."

Naegi whispered, "Ikusaba-san, it's okay. You're safe now. I promise that you're not broken, and you're not a tool."

Mukuro raised her head, then looked over towards the ramshackle shelter, "But even with you around to remind me that I was human, I still acted as Junko-chan's extension. I loved you so goddamn much that I _wanted_ to be a person for the first time in my life. And I still… I still…"

Mukuro broke off again, tucking her head against her chest.

Naegi didn't really know what to say. He stayed quiet, up until he heard footsteps behind him, and turned his head.

Asahina had come up, a weak smile on her face, "Morning, Naegi. You okay?"

Naegi shrugged, "I suppose as good as I can be in this situation. You?"

She shrugged, "Tired. I want to go back to sleep, but I can't sleep past seven anymore."

Naegi sighs, as an odd smile settles on his face, "I know exactly what you mean."

He turned back to the fire, then froze. Mukuro was gone.

"Huh? Ikusaba-san?"

Asahina said, "Oh, she went to comfort Maizono-chan. She's having nightmares again."

Naegi nodded. Mukuro and Maizono had formed a surprisingly close relationship. In fact, since they all left the school, Mukuro had hardly left Maizono's side.

Perhaps, Naegi realized, when Mukuro had said that she 'loved you so goddamn much', she hadn't been talking to him at all.

* * *

Naegi was on watch that night alongside Kirigiri and Mondo. They crouched behind mounds of dirt, and peered out over the city. It was a relatively quiet night so far.

If he squinted, Naegi could almost see stars poking through the smog. Their faint light was attempting so hard to pierce through, but they seemed to have no luck.

They all kept silent, only making noise when absolutely necessary. As the night wore on, however, the quiet air gradually broke.

"Kirigiri-san?" Naegi whispered, "Why are we still here?"

She didn't look away from the horizon, "What do you mean?"

Naegi said, "Why are we sheltered here? Why aren't we going any further… What's even the point of being here?"

Kirigiri took a deep breath, "I don't know," she admitted, "I don't know a lot of things at the moment."

"Are you scared?" Naegi blurted.

Kirigiri whispered, "Terrified. But like I told you… it's normal to be scared. It proves that you're still alive."

Naegi nodded, and forced a small smile. He leaned on her shoulder, and after a while, she intertwined their fingers.

Being with Kirigiri was one of the few things that could still make Naegi feel like everything would be okay in the end.

* * *

At dawn, they left the ridge, and began traipsing back to the shelter. Suddenly, Mondo called out, "Ey, Naegi. Can I have a talk with you real quick?"

He whispered to Kirigiri that he'd catch up in a moment, then walked back over to see what Mondo wanted.

The biker said, "Hey uh… I've gotta question for ya. I'm thinkin', once we get ourselves out of this shit hole, that I tell that gang what really went down with me n' Daiya."

Naegi's eyes widened. That was Mondo's greatest secret, the one that had driven him to kill Fujisaki.

"But-"

Mondo cut him off, "I know, but the entire fuckin' world probably knows already. I wanna tell the gang myself… they gotta hear it right from me. D-D'you think it's a good plan, though?"

Naegi said, "Maybe it's best that you do tell them. I think they would appreciate it."

Mondo nodded, "Thanks, kid. I needed that bit of reassurance. I've been talkin' to kyoudai about it too… I'll do it. Soon as we can find the rest of 'em."

Naegi replied, "Ah, no trouble. Glad I could help, Oowada-kun."

Mondo grinned, "Alright, we should go get some sleep. We got shit to do when the sun's up too."

* * *

"I can see them too."

The evening supplies run into the city had been silent up until this point. Neither Naegi nor Asahina had felt the need to speak, and they were mostly focused on finding medical supplies, or anything that could be used for them.

They couldn't keep cutting up Hagakure's old coat every time someone got a scrape forever.

He and Asahina had been in the midst of raiding the shelves of what appeared to have once been a pharmacy when she spoke.

Naegi turned towards her, dropping the package of likely expired painkillers that he was holding, and said, "What are you talking about?"

Asahina bit her lip lightly, "I can see all the others. I know… I know that it's not real. I know that deep down, I'm just trying to make myself feel better. But I want it to be real. Is that wrong?"

Naegi swallowed, his voice tight, "I d-don't know what you mean. We all made it out of the school, right?"

"That's what I want to believe," Asahina said, tears dripping from her face, "But I can't lie to myself either, can I?"

"I have to go."

Naegi turned tail and ran, sprinting as fast as he could. His heart screamed in his chest, and his thought were a blur.

 _We all made it out… We all made it out!_

He ended up in a building across the street, and lay down on the concrete floor, amidst the shattered glass. His vision was blurring, and no matter how hard he clenched his fist, he found himself unable to feel a thing.

"They're not really gone," he hissed, "Don't listen, don't listen!"

The glass broke beneath his weight and scratched his skin, but he dug it into his arms, in hopes that he would bleed, and that would prove he was alive, right?

If he bled then he was real, and his experiences were real, and he would be okay. Then he could go back and see the others and have a nice long chat with Celeste and Sakura over tea and listen to Yamada talk mountains about Boku and spend time sitting in silence with Mondo and make jokes with Leon and chatter with Fujisaki and Ishimaru and then he could hang out with Mukuro and Maizono and everything would be okay and all he had to do to prove that he could was _bleed._

Hands shaking, shattered glass in hand, he brought the shard down onto his bare arm and _that's it just a little scratch right there_ oh god that was Junko why was her voice in his head _just let the blood hit the floor with a nice splatter and then you can go back to your friends isn't that what you want?_

Specks of blood came out bit by bit, begging him not to deepen the surface cut, but Junko's voice was back again and _oh no you don't have to listen to yourself anymore just let go and let the hand of despair carry you wherever you need to go you don't need hope anymore and if you give in now things will get so much better for you!_

He drove the shard in.

A scream pierced the air but he didn't know if it was his own or Junko's crazed laugh. The distorted noise forced his hands over his ears, but the pain didn't end, and _oh god he was going to die here and nobody will ever find you! That's okay though just die here die an insignificant death offscreen and when they realize that you're gone it'll be too late_ and he threw up onto his knees and the floor shook beneath him.

"NAEGI!"

Asahina was shaking him. Her eyes were wide with horror, "Please, Naegi, snap out of it!"

He blinked a few times. His head ached, and cuts covered his arm.

"Huh…?"

Asahina cried, "You were muttering to yourself, and your arm… What happened to you?"

Naegi rubbed his head with his other hand, "I d-don't know. Everything's… kind of a blur."

Asahina's gaze softened, "I'll patch you up. Are you going to be okay now?"

He shrugged.

"I really hope so, Asahina-san."

She pulled out a roll of bandages from her jacket pocket, and lightly wrapped them around the cuts. She was frugal, and made sure that only the bare minimum of the supplies were used. It made sense, they had to make things last.

Once he was cleaned up, they both stood. Before they could exit the building, however, Asahina went stiff. Naegi went to ask her what was wrong, but his blood froze. Asahina trembled as she pointed at the corpses on the ground behind a fallen piece of the roof.

Their deaths had been painful, judging by the amount of blood, and state of the broken bodies. The slow stench of rotting flesh reached his nose, as he drew closer to the pile. These were oddly the first bodies the group had encountered since they had left the school.

It seemed that the main streets had been cleaned of the corpses, but by who? And why?

" _A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you can spend however you like, the class trial will begin!"_

Naegi hadn't even realized that he'd spoken aloud until Asahina began to cry, and clutched him tightly.

* * *

"Where were you?" Togami demanded, "You were gone for far longer than you planned, and you hardly brought back anything of value."

Asahina dipped her head, "W-We stayed out because there was almost nothing left."

"Yeah," Naegi lied, hoping his hoodie was covering the bandages, "We figured that being out a little later would be okay if we brought back something worthwhile."

Togami sighed, and pushed up his glasses, "I'll forgive you, as you merely wanted to be helpful. However, you two are no longer allowed to do supply runs together. Understood?"

"Understood," they chorused.

Togami walked away, and Asahina turned to Naegi, "Hey, stay safe, okay?"

Naegi nodded, "I will."

"Promise me?"

"I promise."

Asahina smiled.

With her satisfied, Naegi headed off towards the shelter. He sat down next to Ishimaru, unsure why.

The hall monitor turned his head, "Ah, Naegi-kun! Are you feeling quite alright?"

Naegi looked at his arm, then back up at Ishimaru, hoping he wasn't being too obvious, "Y-Yeah, don't worry about me."

Ishimaru furrowed his brow, "There is no need to lie to me for my sake. We are your friends, and we care very much about you!"

Naegi smiled. Ishimaru was too good for this cruel world.

"Thank you… if I ever need to talk, I'll let you know."

Ishimaru beamed, "I trust that you will! Look after yourself, Naegi-kun!"

A genuine smile formed on Naegi's face.

 _Thank you._

* * *

A loud banging sound made Naegi awaken far before seven. It was still dark out, and the only light besides the fire came from several blinding flashlights.

...Flashlights?

 _We don't have any of those._

Naegi rubbed his eyes blearily, as he focused on what was going on.

Hagakure hissed into his ear, "N-Naegi-chi! There's some freaky people here!"

Naegi blinked, "What?"

"The guy with the katana said they were from something called the Future Foundation," Hagakure added, "What does that mean?!"

"I don't know!" Naegi replied.

Kirigiri raised her head, "What are you two whispering about?"

Hagakure said, "Kirigiri-chi, you've gotta do something! These weird people just showed up, and they want to take us away!"

Kirigiri yawned, "Let them. This place is terrible."

"K-Kirigiri-chi!"

She sighed, "Remind me to never tell a joke again."

Suddenly, a light shone down on the three of them. A shaky voice said, "A-Are you the survivours of H-Hope's Peak A-Academy?"

" _Please don't kill us!"_ Hagakure cried.

The person lowered the flashlight to the ground, revealing a short woman wearing a face mask, "We're not h-here to hurt you! My n-name is Seiko Kimura, and I'm a member of the Future Foundation."

There were the words 'Future Foundation' again.

Seiko said, "P-Please, come with me! It t-took us so l-long to find you all!"

Naegi exchanged glances with both Kirigiri and Hagakure, then carefully got to their feet. They followed Seiko over towards a large aircraft that had landed on the plateau. Togami, Asahina, and Fukawa were already standing there.

A silver haired man said, "Is that all of them?"

Seiko nodded furiously, "Y-Yes, Munakata-san! We can leave now!"

Munakata dipped his head, "Excellent. Let's get going then, shall we?"

One by one, everyone boarded the aircraft. It was a little cramped, with the fifteen of them plus Seiko and Munakata, but everyone managed to fit in the end.

Once they were up in the air, Kirigiri said, "Why were you looking for us?"

Munakata replied, "That killing game was broadcast right to our headquarters. After that graphic display, we had to locate you."

Seiko quickly added, "Are you all feeling o-okay? You've been off t-the radar f-for a few days now."

Nobody really had a response to either of them, except Leon, who looked at Seiko and said, "Can you please be my mom?"

Naegi stifled a chuckle.

* * *

With the way Munakata and Seiko had acted on the plane, Naegi thought that maybe when they arrived, they'd get some hot food, fresh water, and maybe some clean clothes.

All of those requests were denied when Munakata lead them all into a dark cell, and locked them inside.

"I'm sorry, but this is routine procedure. We will now be interrogating the lot of you. Please don't take any of this personally."

Mondo growled something under his breath, but didn't bother with a direct threat.

Over the course of the next hour, Munakata came back multiple times, sending someone to an interrogation room. Hagakure with Izayoi. Asahina with Seiko. Kirigiri with 'Kizakura.' Fukawa with 'Miaya.' Togami with Munakata himself, and Naegi with someone named Juzo Sakakura.

The rest of them, Naegi assumed, would be assigned an interrogator later.

He walked down the hall slowly, being closely followed by a woman who was wearing so much pink that Naegi could have mistaken her for a flamingo.

They arrived at a steel door with a tiny window, and the flamingo walked up to it. She input a code into a number pad that he neglected to notice before, and the door swung open.

"Good luck!" she yelled, as he walked inside.

Juzo Sakakura was intimidating, to say the least. He was all muscle, and his serious expression didn't help much. He could probably have broken Naegi's spine over his knee.

Naegi shivered, and carefully lowered himself down into a plastic green folding chair, and rested his hands on the table in front of him.

Juzo slammed a massive fist into the wall, "You… state your name, birthday, and your former Super High-School Level talent."

He swallowed, "M-Makoto Naegi, February fifth, and Super High-School Level… Good Luck."

No point in mentioning that Kirigiri decided he was truly the Ultimate Hope. It wasn't exactly a talent.

Juzo shut his eyes, and took a long deep breath. It was just enough to lull Naegi into a false sense of security, as Juzo slammed his fist down on the table in the next moment.

"Now you listen here, shitstain," he hissed, "This isn't the playground, and I don't mess around. So don't try and play smart with me."

Naegi nodded shakily.

Juzo stood up, "Now, tell me. Who was the true Ultimate Despair, the mastermind behind the killing game?"

"Junko Enoshima," Naegi spat, "She set up the game because-"

Juzo hissed, "I didn't ask for any extra credit. This is no time to be the teacher's pet!"

Naegi swallowed. Normally, schoolyard metaphors wouldn't have freaked him out so much, but Juzo was the most menacing person he'd ever been directly faced with.

Sure, Mondo's punch to the face had sucked, but the guy meant well. And Junko, while the most terrifying existence that had ever confronted him, didn't look like she could beat him into next Tuesday.

"Next question," Juzo said, "What happened when you left Hope's Peak Academy? Describe your answer in detail."

Juzo was beginning to remind him of that one teacher he had in middle school that nobody liked, and gave out tests that were designed to screw you over.

"W-Well," Naegi started, "the fifteen of us left the school after the sixth school trial. We travelled through a windstorm until we found an abandoned grocery store, where-"

Juzo cut him off, "This is no time to turn into the class clown! Start over!"

Naegi didn't understand where he went wrong, but quickly complied, "The fifteen of us-"

"I don't have time to deal with your _bullshit,_ " Juzo growled, "So tell the goddamn truth. We don't need any more smart alecks around here."

Naegi blinked, "But I-"

Juzo replied, "Don't speak to me in that fucking tone, wise guy. If I wanted someone to talk back to me, I'd have said so!"

Scratch middle school teacher. Juzo was the bully that beat him up on the first day of high-school and then never got busted for it.

Naegi said, "I'm not talking back to you, I'm telling the truth-"

Juzo's laugh sounded like a bark, "Right! And I'm next in line to be the Queen of England! Stop fucking testing me, asshole."

Naegi didn't respond, too afraid of being yelled at again.

Juzo said, "Fuck this. I'm getting Munakata to deal with you."

* * *

Munakata gave Naegi an even stare. He was calm, almost frighteningly so. Somehow, the silver haired man's hidden hostility was scarier than Juzo's obvious animosity.

"Makoto Naegi…" Munakata said slowly, "Sakakura says that you are being uncooperative. He didn't provide any specifics, but he insisted that you are lying to him."

Naegi swallowed, "I'm n-not, I swear."

Munakata said, "Then please… detail what exactly occurred after the doors to the academy opened. The transmission from the school ended at that point."

Naegi said, "After the doors opened, we realized that a windstorm was picking up, so Hagakure-kun ripped up his jacket so we could cover our faces. T-Then, the fifteen of us ventured out into the storm, until we-"

Munakata raised a hand, "That's enough. I understand now why Sakakura was so frustrated with you."

Naegi blinked, "H-Huh?"

Munakata leaned forwards, "We here at the Future Foundation pride ourselves on honesty, as the truth is one of the few things we still have in this broken, desolate world. So I implore you to cease your fruitless lies."

Naegi held up his hands, "I swear on my life, on the lives of my friends, that I'm not lying! You have to believe me!"

Munakata shut his eyes, "I'm afraid that I cannot take your words at face value. Forgive me, Makoto Naegi. I will escort you back into the holding cell for now. In a bit, this will all resume."

Naegi dipped his head, "I understand."

* * *

True to his word, Munakata personally took Naegi back to the cell. Most of the others were inside, and it seemed that Kirigiri, Togami, and Asahina had returned from interrogation. Fukawa and Hagakure were still missing.

He sat down next to Kirigiri, who looked surprisingly vulnerable. Her hands were in tight fists, but they still shook in her lap.

"Are you okay, Kirigiri-san? Did they send Sakakura after you?"

Togami spoke up from across the room, "No, he's going after Fukawa." A flicker of worry crossed his face.

Kirigiri said quietly, "Koichi Kizakura. Before everything… I knew him."

Naegi's eyes widened, "Y-You did?"

She nodded, "Yes. I'd say he was a friend of my father… but I believe that would be selling him short. Rather, I think he was once family."

Naegi's jaw dropped.

 _Family._

Kirigiri continued, "My memories still haven't all come back yet, but Kizakura is a prominent feature in ones that involve my father. It's… strange."

Strange was the word for everything happening at the moment.

Kirigiri said, "What happened to you? You're very pale."

Naegi rubbed his neck, "They accused me of lying. I don't know why, I told them the truth every time, but they hardly let me get past the beginning before they cut me off."

Togami raised an eyebrow, "Did they now?"

Naegi nodded, "I can't figure it out. I just said that we all left the school together, but I never got much further than that before they yelled at me."

Asahina inhaled sharply from the floor, and quickly looked away.

Suddenly, a loud clang startled them. The cell door slid open, and Genocider Syo burst in, keys dangling from her hand, "What's up? It's been a while!"

Asahina cried, "How did you get out? And with the keys?"

Syo grinned, "Swiped them off Muscles after he went running for the hills. Gloomy was leaning too close to his fur coat, sneezed, and woke me from my peaceful slumber. He doesn't look like it, but that guy's a real chicken."

The thought of Juzo Sakakura running from Syo, crying and screaming, was too funny for Naegi not to laugh.

Togami said, "You did _not_ manage to frighten that… behemoth."

Syo smirked, "I may not look it, but I can crush a man under my heel, and make him _beg_. Of course, you would know that best, Byakuya-sama!"

Togami bit down on his lip, sweat forming on his brow.

Asahina mumbled into her lap, "Togami's sex life was the last thing I ever wanted to know about."

"Anyways!" Syo said, "I got this damn door open, so let's have a fucking prison break!"

"Prison break!" Leon echoed pumping his fist in the air.

Naegi was about to react, when Syo suddenly crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Kirigiri had been standing behind her, her hand up in a karate chop fashion.

"Kirigiri-san?!"

She shrugged, "It's okay, Fukawa-san won't know it was me."

"That's not what I meant!"

* * *

Munakata's wife, Chisa Yukizome, was the nicest member of the Future Foundation, except maybe for Seiko. At least, Naegi assumed that she was Munakata's wife. They certainly acted like they were married.

Chisa pushed a cup of tea towards him, "Drink up. You need your strength."

When he didn't touch it, she added, "I promise that I didn't poison it."

Naegi picked it up, and took a long sip.

Chisa smiled, "Feeling a little better?"

"Y-Yeah. Thank you."

Chisa said, "So, Naegi-kun. The others say they've been having trouble with you, but I think that they're just not listening hard enough. Tell me what happened, okay?"

Naegi nodded, and carefully recounted the tale. Chisa listened with interest, and took down things of note. When he was done, she put down her clipboard and smiled.

"It all adds up to me," Chisa said, "I don't see why they had such a big problem with you."

Naegi rubbed the back of his neck, and made a note to buy her a birthday card.

"Just one question," she added, "How many people did you say left the school? Fifteen?"

Naegi nodded, "Counting myself. The sixteenth student was Junko Enoshima, and we obviously didn't want to bring her with us."

Chisa's gaze flickered, "Yes, well… that's the only issue I have. If there were only sixteen people at the beginning, how did you all last through six class trials? I thought someone had to die for one to happen.

Naegi said, "Well, the sixth trial was a retrial for the murder of Mukuro Ikusaba. We found out that Enoshima herself was the one behind it."

"Mukuro Ikusaba?"

Naegi nodded, "She's the Super High-School Level Soldier. She's waiting in holding right now, she's the one with short black hair and freckles."

A concerned expression came over Chisa's face, "I see… Can you tell me about the first class trial?"

Naegi nodded, but his hands began to shake, "M-Maizono-san got murdered in the night by Kuwata-kun. And right before the trial, Ikusaba-san was killed by her sister, as an example to the rest of us."

Chisa nodded, "Okay. You mentioned Maizono-san and Kuwata-kun earlier, when you told me about how you all got out."

Naegi smiled, "Yes! Maizono-san's like my sister, and Kuwata-kun's a really close friend."

"And they made it out?"

Naegi nodded, unsure where she was going with this, "Y-Yeah. Like I said, all fifteen of us made it."

Chisa asked, "Despite the fact that Maizono-san, Ikusaba-san, and Kuwata-kun died either before or during the first class trial?"

Naegi faltered.

"T-They're not dead. They're in holding right now! I can introduce you if you don't believe me!" Naegi declared.

Chisa reached out an arm, and rubbed his shoulder, "No, that's not necessary. What about Fujisaki, and Oowada-kun? I believe they died due to the second trial."

Naegi nodded.

"Did they make it out too? Are they in holding with the others?"

Naegi nodded again.

Chisa got up from her chair, and walked around the table to where Naegi was sitting. He looked up at her with curious eyes, when she leaned down, and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Oh Naegi-kun…" she whispered, "I'm so sorry. But they're _dead._ "

Naegi stiffened in her arms.

Chisa's voice shook, "I know… I know. My class is gone too. I taught Class 77, and they all either gave in to despair, or in Nanami-san's case… Died."

"They're not gone," Naegi whispered.

Chisa sniffled, "That's what I told myself. I thought if I acted like nothing was wrong, if I pent up all my emotions, then maybe I could believe that they would come back. It feels like I've spent half my life holding it all in, and sometimes, I can't fool myself anymore."

Tears dripped out of his eyes, and splashed onto her white lab coat.

"You can't keep it in, Naegi-kun," Chisa whispered, "Otherwise, you'll shatter."

She squeezed him tightly, and a monstrous voice formed inside Naegi's head again.

He tried to push it out, but _oh dear, oh dear! Are you really going to listen to her she doesn't know what she's talking about because all your friends are fine what does she really know so all you have to do is kill her now while she's weak and then you can get back to all your friends and it will be fine just give in for one moment and embrace the despair it'll be fine._

"No…" Naegi mumbled _, and if you can't kill her then you have to be the one to die because otherwise nobody will ever believe you they'll never understand that your friends are just all waiting in that holding cell all of them miss you y'know you should just kill her or die yourself because either way you can get back to them in no time it's okay just tear through her throat with your teeth it's a little messy but it's better that way i promise would i ever lie to you?_

"NO!"

He wailed and clutched his head, "Get out! GET OUT!"

Chisa leaned in, and whispered in his ear, "Naegi-kun, breathe. It's okay, it's just you and me."

He opened his mouth _you've got that wrong because there's someone else here and don't worry Chisa sweetheart I didn't manage to make you despair before but I can do it right now and right now with a little help from Naegi-kun here as long as he just dies in your arms because isn't he just like the son you and Munakata will never have you're so sick for just deciding that you should adopt him he doesn't even know you and you're such a failure for letting your class die so Naegi-kun listen to me and either die or kill her because there's no other way to fix this you trust me don't you don't you?_

"Block her out," Chisa murmured, pulling him onto the floor, and holding him tightly in her arms, "It's just you, and me, and this tiny little room. Nobody else is here, so just focus on my voice, okay?"

Naegi gasped for air, "...Okay…"

"Shhh…" Chisa soothed him, "You're safe here. I've got you, and I swear that I will never let anything bad happen to you again. As long as I'm here, you never have to worry."

"P-Promise?" Naegi croaked.

Chisa said, "I promise. Just breath in, and out, and in, and out. I'll be with you every step of the way."

Naegi slowly calmed, as he listened to her steady heartbeat. They didn't move from their position on the floor for a long time. Every time Naegi grew tense, Chisa would hum softly to him, and in time, his breathing would relax.

After quite a few hours, they finally rose, and she lead Naegi back to the holding cell.

Chisa added, "You'll be fine. I'll tell Kyosuke that you're safe to become a member of the Future Foundation like your other friends."

Naegi gasped, "A member?"

Chisa nodded, and gripped his hands, "And if you ever need _anything,_ no matter what it is, or whenever the time, come and find me. I'm here to help you, no matter what."

Naegi smiled at her, and she mirrored him.

He entered the holding cell, to see the others waiting for him.

"Naegi-chi! Are you okay?" Hagakure shouted.

He nodded, but Hagakure and Asahina ran up to him anyways, and hugged him. Once they let go, Togami and Fukawa gave him small nods. Kirigiri came up beside him, and asked quietly, "Are you sure you're really okay?"

Naegi smiled, "I am. Yukizome-san… she saved me."

Kirigiri blinked, then a small smile formed on her lips, "I'm glad."

She stepped away from him, and Naegi looked at all his friends. Counting himself, there were six people in the cell, like there had been the entire time.

" _Goodbye, Naegi-kun… Stay safe."_

Maizono's voice echoed in his ear. He turned around, to see the other nine standing together at the front of the cell.

Then, just like that, they were gone.

Naegi turned back to the others. Hagakure was talking about what they would do as official members of the Future Foundation, while Fukawa was lamenting that she couldn't, because ' _She_ scared Sakakura so badly that I've been deemed unsafe.'

His other friends were dead, and they wouldn't be coming back.

Somehow, that gave him more peace than anything.


End file.
